Ketogenic Diet Review | Does It Work?

If your child has epilepsy, putting them on the ketogenic diet could reduce seizures and save their life. It has been proven by doctors to work well with seizures that are difficult to control. In fact, some children are able to stop taking their anti-seizure medications. The ketogenic diet requires a lot of dedication, and supervision by a doctor. About two-thirds of individuals that try the ketogenic diet achieve success in reducing or eliminating seizures.

The ketogenic diet is high in fat and low in carbohydrates, causing the body to burn fat for energy. This creates kytones which replace glucose as a fuel source. This is known as kytosis, and an individual in this state has a lessened chance of having an epileptic seizure. The ketogenic diet is modeled after fasting, as the body undergoes kytosis from burning fat cells for fuel during that process. Physicians at the beginning of the 20th century noticed that epileptic seizures were greatly decreased in patients that were water fasting.

The ketogenic diet was widely used before pills were made available to treat epileptic seizures. Unfortunately prescription medications do not work 100 percent of the time, and other options must be sought. The Ketogenic diet has a good success rate, but is not for everyone. Switching to a ketogenic diet must be done with medical supervision as it can cause complications, have an adverse effect, or may need to be finely tuned for greater effect. The ketogenic diet does not work for everyone, so trying it without a doctor’s advice can cause vitamin and mineral deficiencies, irregular menstruation, and decreased bone density.

The ketogenic diet definitely has something great to offer if you or your child has epileptic seizures that are uncontrollable, frequent, or life threatening. It is not a diet for just anybody and should be undertaken with great care and oversight from a physician. It may be time to try something different if you have unsuccessfully tried two or more seizure medications or want to lead a pill-free lifestyle. The ketogenic diet could change your life, so ask your doctor about it.